Three Dimensional Flying with a Two Dimensional Plane!

Headbang

Master member
New to this thread, but got hooked early on. After building and maidening the Simple Stik, I stumbled across this thread and have a couple of questions.

1 When you join the two halves of the fuselage and when you fold over the wing, I'm curious about how you glue them. I have built several Flitetest planes and some from Experimental Airlines but have not used this technique. I was thinking of either hot glue or Gorilla glue. Please chime in.

2 My tools are modest, no lasers or hot wire cutters, but was looking for tips on how to radius foamboard. My Spitfire has curved wings tail etc, but I ruined a lot of foamboard trying to get the curves to look correctly. Straight cuts, obviously, no problem but would be grateful for any tips. I use either a single edged razor blade or an X-Acto knife with the #11 blade.

Thanks.
So for curves, I use an xacto knife with #11 blade. I hold it like a scalpel and move my body more then my arm or hand. Takes practice.

For glue I use super 77 spray adhesive for the wing and fuse. I have also used clear gorilla glue, and just pain old white glue spread super thin. Hot glue was a disaster, white or original gorrila glue works, but it expands, so have to spread as thin as absolutely possible.
 

mayan

Legendary member
So for curves, I use an xacto knife with #11 blade. I hold it like a scalpel and move my body more then my arm or hand. Takes practice.

For glue I use super 77 spray adhesive for the wing and fuse. I have also used clear gorilla glue, and just pain old white glue spread super thin. Hot glue was a disaster, white or original gorrila glue works, but it expands, so have to spread as thin as absolutely possible.
I move the mat and piece that I am cutting rather than my body or the knife.
As for the fuselage I glue it with super77 and the wings I use hot glue.
 

Headbang

Master member
Maybe I read the drawings incorrectly, but the only way I could get the horizontal stabilizer & elevator installed was to remove the rudder, install the HS & E and then reapply the rudder with a glue hinge. Onto the electronics.
Yes it is designed so the vertical stab and rudder go on after horizontal stab is installed.
 

The Hangar

Fly harder!
Mentor
New to this thread, but got hooked early on. After building and maidening the Simple Stik, I stumbled across this thread and have a couple of questions.

1 When you join the two halves of the fuselage and when you fold over the wing, I'm curious about how you glue them. I have built several Flitetest planes and some from Experimental Airlines but have not used this technique. I was thinking of either hot glue or Gorilla glue. Please chime in.

2 My tools are modest, no lasers or hot wire cutters, but was looking for tips on how to radius foamboard. My Spitfire has curved wings tail etc, but I ruined a lot of foamboard trying to get the curves to look correctly. Straight cuts, obviously, no problem but would be grateful for any tips. I use either a single edged razor blade or an X-Acto knife with the #11 blade.

Thanks.
I used white gorilla glue for mine. I usally use my X-Acto or box cutter to cut through the paper template and the top layer of paper on the foam board. Then I will peel off the paper template and then go over the score cuts I made in the foam a couple more times with my knife till I've gotten all the way through the foam and paper on the other side. That's actually the way I cut out all my pieces - straight or curved.
 

tomlogan1

Well-known member
Still waiting on some electronics, but this should show up well Flash sort of washes out the color on parts.
IMG_20200420_132809.jpg
 
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Headbang

Master member
Still waiting on some electronics, but this should show up well Flash sort of washes out the color on parts. View attachment 166714
Depending on if you plan to fly 3d or just sport fly. You may want to make sure you have colors that are very different on the bottom from the top. This style of plane flies inverted as well as it does right side up. The black and white plane in my pics was terrible, lost orientation constantly. The one that is blue and yellow with the bottom being white with strips I never lose orientation. Of course everyone is different, I have issues with color schemes that others can distinguish easily.
 

tomlogan1

Well-known member
Depending on if you plan to fly 3d or just sport fly. You may want to make sure you have colors that are very different on the bottom from the top. This style of plane flies inverted as well as it does right side up. The black and white plane in my pics was terrible, lost orientation constantly. The one that is blue and yellow with the bottom being white with strips I never lose orientation. Of course everyone is different, I have issues with color schemes that others can distinguish easily.
Thanks for your thoughts. The underside is bright yellow.
 

Stoobiedoo

New member
Base coat is on and I have since installed electronics and black striping. Once paint is dry I will apply a couple of decals and she should be ready to rip after the winds calm down. I will have a lot of black on the top, and the bottom will stay bright red for orientation. I haven't flown anything in a month! I usually get one or two packs in the morning at least once a week...
 

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sundown57

Legendary member
first attempt at flying a 3d. Took mine out yesterday, First flight I found out the batteries in my transmitter died so had to land it. Second flight I didn't pull up soon enough, and third Just as I launched it I spotted one of the servo wires hanging down. That one crashed it and it broke right at the wing. but nothing a simple pop cycle stick would fix and now it's ready to go again.

 

sundown57

Legendary member

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bracesport

Legendary member
@sundown57 - great stuff with the 3D flying - I love the way they flit here and there like a fantail! :)

first attempt at flying a 3d. Took mine out yesterday, First flight I found out the batteries in my transmitter died so had to land it. Second flight I didn't pull up soon enough, and third Just as I launched it I spotted one of the servo wires hanging down. That one crashed it and it broke right at the wing. but nothing a simple pop cycle stick would fix and now it's ready to go again.

 

sundown57

Legendary member
I took this one out yesterday but for some reason, my ESC overheated and the motor shut down. I brought it home and looked it all over good. I don't see anything rubbing. And this is the Stock Fpack motor and ESC from flitetest. I just used it on the 3d I flew 2 days ago. Do motors not like to work as pushers?

 

BATTLEAXE

Legendary member
I took this one out yesterday but for some reason, my ESC overheated and the motor shut down. I brought it home and looked it all over good. I don't see anything rubbing. And this is the Stock Fpack motor and ESC from flitetest. I just used it on the 3d I flew 2 days ago. Do motors not like to work as pushers?

It looked tail heavy and sounded like there was a lot of RPM for not much thrust
 

sundown57

Legendary member
its suppose to be a bit tail heavy I thing because it's made to fly with high alfa? I think its called. I agree with high rpm and little thrust. What I did is put the prop in as if it was on the nose. with the numbers facing forward. then just turned the motor around . so the numbers are facing the bell and the prop is spinning in the right direction. that sound right?

Also here is a link to how it should fly
 

BATTLEAXE

Legendary member
its suppose to be a bit tail heavy I thing because it's made to fly with high alfa? I think its called. I agree with high rpm and little thrust. What I did is put the prop in as if it was on the nose. with the numbers facing forward. then just turned the motor around . so the numbers are facing the bell and the prop is spinning in the right direction. that sound right?

Also here is a link to how it should fly
Yea the prop direction does sound right, that's how i did all my pushers. it will be noisier because of the dirty air the prop is sucking in but it just sounded like there was all effort but no go. looking at the vid looks like go is not the priority. Funny that the ESC would heat up though, its all open air placement